Isack Hadjar recovers from surprise Monaco crash

It is always a shock to the system when the narrow streets of Monte Carlo bite back. Isack Hadjar found this out the hard way during FP1 when his RB22 snapped at the second chicane of the Swimming Pool, slamming into the barrier. It was a messy moment that left his machine with a shattered front wing and a missing wheel, handing the Red Bull mechanics a massive repair job just hours before the next session.

Hadjar admitted the incident caught him completely off guard, noting that losing the rear in that fashion is a rare sight around these streets. Thankfully, he was back in the cockpit for FP2. He spent the session methodically rebuilding his confidence, eventually finishing a solid P6—just over a second off the pace set by Lewis Hamilton. It was a professional recovery from a driver who is clearly eager to put the morning disaster behind him.

Now the focus shifts to closing the gap to the front runners. With his teammate Max Verstappen showing consistent speed in P3 throughout Friday, Hadjar is setting his sights on the Mercedes cars. He knows they need a strong FP3 to keep that momentum building ahead of qualifying, but given how quickly he settled back in after the crash, it would be a mistake to count him out.